Comics Review: March and The Montgomery Story

I mentioned a while back that I really need to catch up on the digital comics that I had before getting any more. That sounds so reasonable, but then I will see some deal I can't resist, and, well, I have a lot of comics I still get to read.

The deal that has been the most exciting to me lately was this one:

http://www.comixology.com/March-Book-One-Martin-Luther-King-And-The-Montgomery-Story/bundle/44

The timing was good, because I was reading about African-American history and civil rights, and also, how often do you get a comic book written by a Congressman? (Never before. This was the first, and the first comic to be presented to every member of Congress.)

http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/12/03/representative-john-lewiss-publisher-donates-hundreds-of-comics-to-other-congressmen/

It excited me. It excited me to think that maybe people who don't normally read comics will read March. I am excited that maybe comic readers who don't normally read a lot of history or a lot of multiracial material will read this. And I am excited to learn that a comic played a role back then.

I would be excited at the mere existence of these comics, but their importance in that way only makes it more necessary that they are good. So, let's take a look.

Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, written by Benton Resnik and Alfred Hassler and drawn by various artists. Originally published by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, it is republished in connection with Top Shelf Productions.

That is probably the most complex set of credits I have ever done, but that makes sense for an issue with its history. The information says it "went unnoticed by the mainstream comic book industry, but spread like wildfire among civil rights groups".

The first thing I need to mention is that with various artists, it has a very uniform look, and one that I believe is very much in keeping with the styles of the time. The page layouts do change in some sections, but I don't think it is jarring.

There is an emphasis on the religious aspects which may seem outdated now, but the churches were a huge part of the Civil Rights movement of the time, and the religion of the participants was a key part of their motivation both for working towards progress and for doing so non-violently. It is clearly not merely a Christian idea either, with a section on Gandhi who was an important source of inspiration for the movement.

I suppose I was reading it largely as a historical document, but I was touched by the words about the importance of understanding and loving your enemy. It can be so hard, but that is what sanctifies the conflict. The section "How the Montgomery Method Works" is just as true now as it was then.

March: Book One, written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, with art by Nate Powell (Top Shelf)

One of the things that struck me when reading Dr. Abernathy's book, And The Walls Came Tumbling Down, was the description of the drilling that they did. It gave a new comprehension of what militant meant, and its necessity made perfect sense, but it was a new thought. The Montgomery Story shows some of the drilling, but March gives a fuller view. They had to be ready to face horrible things. It is hard to see allies shouting abuse and pouring fluids, but it would have been harder to face it from your enemies without being prepared.

I guess I am saying that March is grittier than The Montgomery Story, and it is, but also, I am saying that seeing the images, rather than just reading about what happened, gives a new feeling.

The book does a beautiful job of humanizing Lewis, and giving you a feel for how events built on each other, leading to what will come. It starts on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but the flashbacks will take a while to get us there. That's okay; there is a lot that goes into how people can do what needs to be done, and why it needs to be done.

The artwork is kind of stark, like early black and white television. This is history. There are things happening in the present day as well, but they are connected with the history.

March is lengthy, which is more of an issue for me as I am still not great at navigating digital books. The end of Book 1 occurs on page 121, and is very much at a point of continuations. Some victories have been achieved, but there is a lot more to do, then and now.

These are such important stories, and so close to my heart, and I am excited to see them in the medium of comics. I think there is room for wonderful things to happen.

http://sporkful.blogspot.com/2012/08/why-pictures.html